Cucumbers

Cucumber Lemonade (Agua de Pepino)

• 1 cucumber, peeled and cubed
• 1 lemon
• 5 c water
• Sugar to taste

Add cucumber and water to a blender and puree. Strain. Add juice of lemon and sugar to taste. Serve over ice.

Wash and slice cucumbers. Dip them in a mixture of egg and a little milk. Coat them in flour or corn meal and fry in a skillet like you would fried green tomatoes.

Tapenade in Cucumber

Ingredients:

• 250 g pitted black olives
• 100 g garlic
• 100 g anchovy in olive oil
•  80 g drained capers
• 60 - 70 ml olive oil
• freshly ground black pepper
• cucumber
•  Ritz crackers (or similar circular, salty crackers)

First, prepare the tapenade. Puree the olives, garlic, anchovy and capers in a food processor until you have a smooth paste of an unappetizing colour. Add the olive oil, continue processing for a short while, and the tapenade is ready.

Cut off one end of the cucumber and remove the seeds using a narrow knife. Fill the hollowed cucumber with tapenade.

Press a cracker against the cucumber end, cut off a slice of the cucumber and catch the slice on the cracker. Repeat the procedure until you have enough crackers, each covered with a tapenade-filled cucumber slice.

Any tapenade that is left will keep for at least a week in the fridge and can be used as a spread.

Su-no-Mono (Japanese Cucumber and Noodles)

Ingredients:

• 1/4 c sake
• 1 1/2 oz cellophane noodles (mung bean thread)
• 1/3 c mild rice vinegar
• 2 T tamari soy sauce
•  2 T mirin
• 2 medium cucumbers
• 1/2 t salt
• 2 oz cooked crab meat OR 4 T chopped red bell pepper

Bring about 1/4 cup sake to a boil, immediately remove from heat, and cool. Reserve 2 tablespoons of boiled sake.

Cook the bean threads according to package directions (usually, boil for 3 minutes). Drain and place the noodles in a bowl of cold water. Run more cold water over the noodles until they are completely cool.

Combine 2 tablespoons of the sake with the vinegar, soy sauce, and mirin. Cool.

Peel the cucumbers, cut in hal lengthwise, remove the seeds, and slice as thinly as possible. Place in a bowl, sprinkle with salt, and allow to sit for a few minutes. Squeeze the salted cucumber slices. Rinse well, squeezing out all of the excess water after rinsing.

In a (beautiful) bowl, place the noodles and then the cucumbers. Sprinkle on the crabmeat or bell pepper. Pour the marinade over all and serve.

Fried Cucumbers

Wash and slice cucumbers. Dip them in a mixture of egg and a little milk. Coat them in flour or corn meal and fry in a skillet like you would fried green tomatoes.

Esther's Cucumber Sandwiches

I grew up in England in a household where we had cucumber sandwiches for tea very often; we also used to take them for seaside picnics. Here is the recipe of my grandfather's housekeeper, Esther King:

Ingredients:

• 1 thin cucumber
• 1 loaf brown bread, sliced
• 1 stick sweet butter
•  salt and pepper to taste

Peel cucumber and slice in paper-thin rounds. Salt rounds lightly and place in colander for 15 minutes to drain. Press to release water; pat dry with paper towels.

Spread sliced bread (bakery whole wheat is closest to English Hovis) with softened sweet butter. Put 2 layers of cucumber slices on bottom slice, salt and pepper to taste, and top with another buttered slice. Press lightly with palm of hand. Cut all crusts off with a sharp knife. Cut sandwiches in half diagonally.

Chicken in Cucumber & Lemon Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 large cucumbers, peeled, halved, appox. 4 cups (less is bad, more is fine)
• 7 tbs. butter
• 1/2 c flour
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (or any skinless, boneless chicken)
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 c chicken stock
• 1 c whipping cream
• 2 tb plus 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbs minced dill

Place cucumbers in colander. Sprinkle with salt, toss, and let drain 1 hr. Pat cucumbers dry. Melt 3 tbs butter in heavy lg skilet over med. heat. Add cucumbers and saute until light brown, about 7 min. Set aside.

In small cup, mix 1 tbs flour and 1 tbs butter to smooth paste, set aside. Place remaining 1/2 c flour in shallow baking dish with pepper and season with salt. Coat chicken and shake off excess. Melt remaining 3 tbs butter with oil in another heavy large skillet over high heat. Add chicken and saute until brown. Add 1/2 cup stock. Reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through (about 4 minutes). Transfer chicken to platter.

Add remaining 1/2 cup stock to chicken skillet. Increase heat to high and boil until reduced to 1/4 cup (about 3 minutes). Add cream & bring to boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened to sauce consistency (about 2 minutes), stirring frequently. Stir in lemon juice and 1 tbs dill. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add chicken and cucumbers to sauce, heat through. Transfer to plates. Spoon sauce & cucumbers over chicken. Sprinkle with tbs. dill.

Refrigerator Dill Chips

Pickled cucumbers add spice and texture to sandwiches and meals. For highest quality pickles, use cucumbers that are no more the 24 hours from the vine. Use “pure” or pickling salt in this recipe. Table salt contains additives that make a cloudy brine and off color pickles.

• 2 to 2-1/2 cups sliced cucumbers, about 1/4 inch thick
• 2-1/2 teaspoons pickling salt
• 2 springs fresh dill, about 6 inches long or 1 tablespoon dry dill seed or 1 head of fresh dill
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar
• 1/2 cup water

Prepare the jar, lid and screwband. Wash them in hot soapy water, rinse well and drain. Combine the sliced cucumbers and 1-1/2 teaspoons of the pickling salt. Toss well. Cover with cold water and let stand for 2 to 3 hours. Drain.

In a clean, hot, 1 pint jar, put the dill, garlic, and remaining 1 teaspoon pickling salt. Add the cucumbers slices leaving 1/2 inch head space. Push slices down and firmly pack. Combine water and vinegar and bring to a boil. Pour hot vinegar solution over cucumbers.

Use a plastic knife or spatula to release air bubbles. Insert knife down the side of the jar and gently push cucumber slices toward the center so that the vinegar solution gets between the slices. Pour on more hot vinegar solution if necessary. Leave 1/2 inch headspace (the space between the rim of the jar and its contents). Wipe the rim. Put the lid and screwband in place. Refrigerate for six weeks before eating.

Nontraditional Sweet Freezer Pickles

This is not your typical pickle recipe. No special equipment or ingredients are needed. This recipe produces a crisp, sweet pickle that goes well in salads, on sandwiches or as a side. The secret to the crisp texture is the sugar, so do not reduce the sugar in the recipe. This recipe works well with slicing, pickling, seedless or hothouse cucumbers.

• 2 quarts cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced (use any variety of cucumber)
• 1 medium onion, sliced thinly
• 1 tablespoon salt (table salt, canning salt or kosher salt can be used)
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar

Mix cucumbers, onions and salt in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set the bowl on the counter for 2 hours. Pour into a colander and drain water from cucumber mixture. Combine sugar and vinegar. Stir well and pour over cucumbers. Pack into freezer containers or zip-closure bags. Freeze immediately. Pickles are ready to eat in 3 or 4 days. They will keep in the freezer for up to one year.

Cucumber Salad

This easy cucumber salad recipe makes a nice accompaniment to any meal.

Ingredients:

• 3 large cucumbers, peeled, thinly sliced
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 3/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• dash ground cayenne pepper
• dash dried parsley flakes
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• dash dried leaf basil [or finely chopped fresh basil]

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients except cucumbers; heat until sugar melts. Pour warm mixture over cucumbers. Store covered in refrigerator.

Serves 6 to 8

Serve with pork or as a relish with any meal.

Raita (Indian yogurt dressing)

From the Punjab region of North India.

Ingredients:

• 2 green cucumbers
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped spring onion
• 2 cups yogurt
•  1/2 teaspoons roasted cumin seeds (optional)

Garnish:

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander or mint

Method:

Peel the cucumbers, halve them lengthways and remove the seeds. Cut the cucumbers into small dice, sprinkle with salt and leave for 15 minutes, then drain away liquid and rinse the cucumbers quickly in cold water. Drain well. Combine with onion, yogurt, lemon juice and taste to see if more salt is required. Roast the cumin seeds in a dry pan, shaking pan or stirring constantly, until brown. Bruise or crush seeds and sprinkle over yogurt. Serve chilled, garnished with mint or coriander.